On episode #230 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent, Rich, Alan and Kathy review H7N9 infections in China, the debate over patenting genes, and receptor-binding by ferret-transmissible avian H5 influenza virus. You can find TWiV #230 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
There have been over 60 human infections with avian influenza virus H7N9 in China, and cases have been detected outside of Shanghai, including Beijing, Zhejiang, Henan, and Anhui Provinces. Information on the first three cases has now been published, allowing a more detailed consideration of the properties of the viral isolates. The first genome sequences reported were …
Avian influenza H7N9 viruses isolated from humans: What do the gene sequences mean? Read More »
On episode #217 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, Rich, and Dickson review influenza vaccines. You can find TWiV #217 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
In early 2012 influenza virus researchers around the world decided to stop working on highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus. This decision came after work from the Fouchier and Kawaoka laboratories revealed the isolation of influenza H5N1 strains that can be passed among ferrets by aerosol. The moratorium on influenza H5N1 virus research has now …
Poliovirus recently made the cover of Time magazine. Prompted by a reader question, I searched the Time archive to find out if there have been other virology-themed covers. I found fifteen in all, depicting poliovirus (3), herpesvirus (1), HIV/AIDS (4), influenza (5), and SARS coronavirus (2) (I did not distinguish between US and international editions). …
On the final episode of the year of the science show This Week in Virology, the TWiV team reviews twelve cool virology stories from 2012. You can find TWiV #213 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
